so they can keep feeding without teeth. [ gunfire ] as fighting continues in yemen, the warring parties exchange hundreds of prisoners during u.n.-backed peace talks. ♪ i'm lauren taylor this is al jazeera live from london. global concern over vulnerable oil fields in libya as it's estimated that isil is making $40 million a mosht from selling stolen oil. could the u.s. about to see its first interest rate rise in ten years? the pakistani children determined to get an education, one year on from the taliban attack.

♪ hello. yemen's warring parties are exchanging hundreds of prisoners in a gesture of goodwill. sources have told al jazeera, that 375 houthi prisoners are being swapped for more than 250 pro-government fighters. it has happened during a seven-day truce while the peace talks continue in switzerland. there are reports of yemen's third largest city, ta'izz, suggesting both sides have failed to honor the ceasefire. zana hoda has more. >> reporter: undoubtedly a positive development. a pilsner swap. it involves hundreds of prisoners. the warring sides agreeing to this deal. it is being described as a goodwill gesture, but this is not what the yemeni government delegation at the talks have

been demanding. what they want is for a prisoner swap involving high-ranking officials including the defense minister who remains in the custody of the houthi rebels. this is a positive development, but at the same time on the ground in yemen, that's fire is not holding. there have been reports of violence, incidents of violence, ever since the ceasefire took effect on tuesday. but at the end of the day, neither one of these sides, the warring sides, have declared the ceasefire officially dead, and that's the question, really, i put to the yemeni ambassador to the united nations, and this is what he had to say. >> if we are also declaring all of these violations of the ceasefire that we will stick to the ceasefire. we think this is the only option for us to go further down the path of peace and -- and -- and -- and achieve peaceful resolution to the conflict. >> reporter: conciliatory messages, but there is still

deep mistrust between the two sides. what we understand is that houthi rebels and their allies want to talk about a permanent ceasefire before any other confidence-building measure. the yemeni government is saying no, because this will only allow the houthi rebels to consolidate their positions on the ground, to resupply their forces. they are accusing the houthis, really of buying time. now like i mentioned the gaps are still wide, but the united nations is pressuring the two sides to try to reach an agreement. the international community is also worried. by the very fact that we're now in day two of these negotiations, and the warring sides are still sitting in the same room is progress in itself. because this is the first time that the two sides are talking since the conflict began. ♪

islamic state of iraq and the levant has launched a series of attack niese anbar province, a key battleground between the group and the iraqi army. the attacks happened in villages north of the capitol ramadi where poleders are based. 23 iraq eye soldiers and tribal fighters were killed. ash carter is in iraq, it's part of his mission to gather more regional support for the u.s.-lead coalition against isil. earlier this month, the u.s. announced plans to send elite military forces to iraq. the u.s. is said to be keeping a closer eye on oil assets in libya and elsewhere. washington said it wants to ensure that more oil fields don't fall into isil's hands. it's now mated that the armed group makes as much as $40 million a month from selling stolen oil. the u.s.-lead coalition and russia are both targeting isil's

oil frikture with air strikes. and the kurds are tracking down on the group. >> reporter: this is a road in northern iraq that has been used to transport illegal oil for isil. the armed group had been able to sneak its trucks in among other legitimate oil transporting tankers. thousands of barrels of cued oil a day can pass through up to the city of kirkuk. >> translator: all roads were clear in the past, tankers carrying isil oil were used. they also used side roads. we cut all of the roads off by digging a ditch around the whole area. >> reporter: crude oil is a major source of money for the armed group. in the past, it's used mediators and businessmen in iraq's kurdish region to sell its oil nationally.

>> translator: about a year ago we learned that huge amounts of ilz oil were being smuggled overseas. 15 people were arrested. . later we found out that influential figures were involved. >> reporter: isil also used a road stretching from raqqa to mosul to transport the oil. but the international coalition and iraqi troops fighting isil for control of the area have made that harder, which means not only is it harder for iltz to get oil revenue, but it's more difficult for the armed group to transport weapons and fighters too. 26 qatary nationals have been kidnapped in iraq. the ministry says the group had an official hunting permit from the iraqi government, and that is it has been working to secure

their release. two aid agencies have started getting food to thousands of people in the syrian city of homs. aid was unable to get through in the past because syrian forces besieged the city. this changed last week when the u.n. brokered a rare local truce and the rebels agreed to leave the city. u.n. secretary general ban ki-moon says he will put forward a plan next month to help prevent armed conflicts. >> syria is an open sore on the middle east and the wider world. we are pressing for a nationwide ceasefire and for -- for the start of negotiations in january on a political transition, and we must not relent. countering the threat caused by

daesh, boko haram, and al-shabab and other terrorist groups is crucial. syrian fighters say 40 soldiers have been killed by al-nusra fighters. and a russian attack on a popular market is believed to have killed at least 3 q23 people. four turkish soldiers have been injured during an isil attack on a training camp. the rocket fire was targeted at a military base where turkish troops are stationed. joining us for more is our correspondent in erbil. what more have you found out about this? >> reporter: all we can confirm is that there is a major offensive currently ongoing on the outskirts of a town which is

in the kurdish territory. we have spoken to peshmerga ore sources close to the fighting, and they are telling us that they are concerned that there is one general among those who have been killed, but they can't tell us for sure if there are kurd ib advisors among those who have been injured. they have called for reinforcements from erbil, and there are more soldiers trying to reach the position that isil has taken. earlier this morning, six peshmerga soldiers were killed when their base near mosul was attacked by isil suicide bombers, and there seems to be a push towards -- away from mosul, and these forces are trying to push towards mosul, there are isil fighters trying to come from mosul and [ inaudible ]. >> thank you very much indeed. thousands of people have m&aed in cities across south

africa calling on the president to leave office. the demonstrations follow a scandal inside the government's finance ministry. tania page has more. >> reporter: drama skips the beat of the zuma must hall march. they say the president should step down or be sacked. >> he is too associated with corruption, with corrupt individuals. the actions that he took last week in sacking a respected finance minister, are considered to be very, very reckless. >> reporter: he shocked the nation and the market when he fired his finance minister last week, replacing him with an unknown mp who held office for only three days. on sunday he was moved to another ministry.

this march is starting with the crowd crossing nelson mandela bridge. it's a statement that the global icon's style of leadership, integrity, and authority, this country needs. like most south africans this person supports the anc, the party of nelson mandela is a political powerhouse, but he feels it has lost its way. >> it stands for the better lives of our people, it stands for bet erring -- it standings for the youth development, it stands for beater society. >> reporter: in the face of unprecedented protests against the president, the leadership has voiced its support for zuma, but many say he has been weakened by the fiasco of changing finance ministers as one opposition group described as if they were underwear. as they crossed the bridge the

economy weighs on this man's mind. the student is worried he won't get a job. >> ever since he stepped up as president the economy has fallen on a low. there hasn't been a lot of job creation, and a lot of houses that were promised to a lot of people haven't been built. >> reporter: it's reconciliation day in south africa, it's supposed to foster national unity. these marchers want the president out, but he has the support of many other south africans, and enjoys the support of his party's leadership. in just a few hour's time the u.s. federal reserve is expected to raise interest rates for the first time in a decade, a move that many fear could have widespread impacts on global markets. interest rates have hovered around zero to a quarter of a percent. blow interest rates make borrowing money more attractive and can help stimulate growth in

terms of economic hardship. be with better jobless figures in the u.s. there are signs that the economy is recovering, and the chair has given strong indications a rate hike could happen that races fears that the hike could trigger a market disruption, just when the world's second largest economy china is slowing. rob mcbride reports. >> reporter: in the city of notoriously high property prices an interest rate hike is viewed with some intrepidation. home prices have seen a three-fold increase over the past 12 years snt attempts to tackle property speculation combined with a slower economy here and across the border in mainland china have seen the market cool, an interest rate rise could see things go into reverse. that ironically could be good

news for some of the many people here who spill desperately want to own their own home. it's one of the factors that feeds into the general level of social discontent. but you have to balance that with the increased distress by all of those people who have managed to get on to the property ladder only now facing higher mortgage repayments. still ahead on al jazeera, returning home, the japanese who are trying to coax an abandoned nuclear fall-out town back to life. plus a growing international appetite for india's fledgling art market. ♪ the only way to get better is to challenge yourself,

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♪ hello, again, a reminder of the top stories. hundreds of prisoners are being released in yemen as part of a deal between government forces and houthi rebels. four turkish soldiers have been injured during an isil attack on a training camp near mosul. u.s. federal reserve is expected to raise interest rates for the first time in a decade in a move that could impact global markets. u.s. republican party white house hopefuls have again put isil in their sights during their fifth and final televised debate of the year, but they also turned on donald trump over his highly criticized plan to ban muslims from entering the u.s. allen fisher reports. >> reporter: it was the fighter before christmas as the holidays loom the last chance for republican presidential hopefuls to make an impression.

and jeb bush decided to attack donald trump. >> you are never going to be president of the united states by insulting your way to the presidency. >> i'm at 42, and you are at 3, but so far -- >> it doesn't matter. >> reporter: ted cruz insists the u.s. must use its military might. >> you use air power directed, but the object isn't to level a city. the object is to kill the isis terrorists. >> reporter: marco rubio believes it's about taking a lead on world events. >> we cannot continue to outsource foreign policy. >> reporter: this was a significant and substantial debate, the candidates all touched on the same themes, but all seemed to have different ideas on the best way forward. they were determined, though, to suggest that the republicans would take a much different

approach from barack obama and the democratic white house. after the debate, ben carson rejected the idea he had a bad night and donald trump repeated to me what he said on stage there will be no independent run if he fails to get the republican no, ma'am makes. >> i'm leading by a lot, and i have learned to greatly respect a lot of the people in the republican party. so there won't be any necessity for that. so now campaigning eases back for the holiday period. in just 40 days the voters in iowa will start the process that will take one of these candidates closer to the white house. it has been one year since taliban fighters broke into a pakistani military-run school, killing 140 people. most were children. there was a ceremony to remember the victims. the attack lead to the creation of military courts and beduction

of the death penalty. >> reporter: it is another day of lessons for these students at the army public school, but everything looks different. there has been extensive renovations, including the addition of a brand new auditorium, perhaps to help erase the memory of what happened here a year ago. on december 16th, several taliban fighters broke into this school through a back door. they opened fire killing 134 students and 6 teachers. the attack was one of the worst in pakistan's recent history. >> translator: it was heart breaking that my brother and his friends were killed. we're determined not to lose hope. i wanted to come back to school the day after the attack. >> reporter: parents were afraid to send their children to school across the country for months,

but it appears that these people are determined to carry on with their education. and that's the sort of courage and spirit that many year say got them through the traumatic experience. razor wire fences have been set up along with fortified walls, and military guards keep a close watch. the attack caused an outrage across pakistan. it forced the government to set up up military courts to quickly try people. it also brought back the death penalty. but human rights groups worry there is not enough oversight. >> pakistan has signed a unilateral sdek la ration of human rights, and the third article is about right to life. whether it's a culprit, victim or someone else. >> reporter: the secretary general of the police for this

province who also looks after the counter terrorism department says there is better cooperation at all levels now. >> a good point about this [ inaudible ] that the public and the government and all walks of life, i think there was a lot of [ inaudible ] that now we have to fight back. and for this fighting back, the federal government along with all stake holders [ inaudible ]. >> reporter: the government has faced criticism over its decision to bring back the death penalty, but many here say, it's a necessary deterrence against attacks like the one against this school. people are slowly moving back to a town close to the fukushima nuclear power station. it was one of the first cities to be evacuated after a massive earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown of the plant. >> reporter: for more than four

years nature has been steadily reclaiming this town. inside the exclusion zone around fukushima nuclear power plant. it's residents were prevented from returning while decontamination work was done. but in september that order was lifted. and about 45050 mainly ellerly people have returned. >> translator: i came back as soon as possible because i want to help the reconstruction effort. >> reporter: this is the chief monk of an 830-year-old buddhist temple has always decided to return out of a sense of duty to the families and ancestors. but he has done so on his own. seeing his wife and two children only on weekends. >> translator: the village is quiet and so is many home. what we really need are the smiles and laughter of children. >> reporter: the day job is in the local government's education

department, helping build a new school with a capacity of up to 900 students, but even he isn't sure if this is the right place to bring up his own children. this is very much a test of japan's ability to reclaim at least one town from the grips of the fukushima disaster, but for it to be a succeed, they need to convince people who have spent years away that it's worth coming back. the mayor insists that the radiation levels are lower here than in some towns outside of the original exclusion zone, the main problem is the passage of time. >> translator: it has been four years and eight months, the people who have evacuated have already built the foundation of their lives outside. they will need to reorganize their lives before returning and that will take time.

>> reporter: three years ago we met this man. now an $11 million project is underway to expand a salmon fishery, diverting river water into a brand new hatchery, where for the first time, they have been able to harvest the eggs of the returning fish. >> translator: hatching the eggs have been our biggest goal. i'm so happy this coming spring we'll be able to release the hatch links. >> reporter: a local convenience store is serving a constant stream of workers, but this is all a big gamble a long-term bet on coaxes an abandoned town back to life. china's president has called for countries to be allowed to set their own rules for cyberspace without interference. he was speaking at china's second world internet conference. beijing is often accused of

online censorship. the chinese leader says his country has the right to govern the internet in any way it sees fit. the u.s. city of flint in michigan is under a state of emergency over the safety of its drinks water. >> reporter: for parents in flint, michigan, the declaration of a state of emergency over the city's water system is long over due. >> it's too late. the damage has been done. >> i don't understand why it wasn't done before. >> reporter: in a statement declaring the emergency, the newly elected mayor said: so she's asking for federal help, some city council members agree. >> when you have got to test 15,000 households, and you have

got this type of health emergency, then that's devastating. and when you don't have the financial resources to make the repairs, that's a problem. and so you have to call on your state and federal partners to try to help you fix it. >> reporter: flint switched its water supply from detroit's system to the flint river in order to cut costs. the change sparked protests and lawsuits over health concerns. for months city officials said it was safe to drink the water here, despite complaints about itself taste, smell, and appearance. in october, the city reverted back to detroit's water system after some children tested positive for high levels of lead. elevated lead in the blood can pose serious health risks. >> it drops your iq about four points. so it has significant impact on

behavior. >> reporter: they are spending millions on water testing for thousands of residents. but even with these, many parents here have little faith in the future of flint's water. do you trust that in the future there will be clean drinking water? >> unfortunately no. >> bottled water, i don't even use like the regular water that comes out of the sink, even though i'm paying for it, i still don't use it. an oil painting by an indian artist has sold for $4.4 million at christy's auction house in mumbai. it sold for twice the estimated price and fetched a world record sum for the artist and for its artistic category. >> reporter: the record breaking auction of indian artist's work as once again drawn attention to the popularity of indian art,

but some gallery owners here say it's not just international collectors who are driving up demand as well as prices. they say they are putting the popularity down to a new diverse pool of art enthusiasts. >> reporter: the non-availability of the work is playing a role, and also the younger generation which is now coming in as collectors, there is a kind of -- i won't say a panic, but there is an interest to collect as of now what they can collect, maybe it's not available later. so all of these things play a role, and also a rising international demand. >> reporter: while the focus is on demand, people say it's important to remember that indian artists have been well-known and sought after for generations, particularly in the international market, but when it comes to art at home, as the affluent middle class grows, art is becoming a more important investment, but nonetheless

across the board, any record-breaking sale is good news. plenty more stories for you any time on our website. the as dress for that is aljazeera.com. and you can watch us by clicking on the watch-now icon. the address again, aljazeera.com. this is one of the biggest steps towards a rewrite of our tax code that we have made in many years. lawmakers working to finalize a deal to keep the government up and running. global markets praising for the first possible fed rake hike in nearly a decade. in while in baltimore they are awaiting a verdict in the first officer charged in the death of freddy gray. the g.o.p. presidential hope